2021 Was The Worst Sales Year For The Ford Mustang In Its Entire History

Ford is flying right now. The Mustang Mach-E is a hit, as is the Bronco, and the upcoming all-electric F-150 Lightning is so popular that the company had to shut down reservations. Not everything is so rosy for the Blue Oval though, as the original pony car just experienced its worst sales year ever.

Throughout 2021, Ford sold 52,414 Mustangs. That includes all trim levels from the base level car with its four-cylinder EcoBoost engine all the way up to the wild Shelby GT500 with its supercharged Predator V8 motor. Understandably, it does not include the all-electric Mustang Mach-E which is an entirely different model.

The Mustang has always been a big sales success for Ford even in the days of the Mustang II. It wasn’t until 1991 that the car saw sales dip below 100,000 units per year. In 2020, Ford sold 61,090 Mustangs which was also an all-time low. That was only the second time in history that sales dropped below 70,000.

Read Also: Finally, A Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 We Can All Afford Thanks To Lego Technic

Not only does this mark the lowest sales figure in the history of the historic pony car, but it also marks the end of its reign over the Dodge Challenger. A total of 54,314 Challengers rolled off of dealer lots and into consumer garages last year. This is rough news for Ford since they’re not exactly close to releasing the next Mustang yet.

Dips in sales aren’t totally shocking when a brand-new model is right on the horizon. However, that’s not the case here. Perhaps worse is that the Challenger, which sold 3 percent more units in 2021 than in 2020, is an almost comically old car, with many of the components underpinning the chassis dating back to 2008.

With that in mind, it’s a little surprising that the Mustang was outclassed in terms of sales considering that the current generation was released in 2015. In any case, Ford has clearly refocused its vision of the future on electric crossovers, SUVs, and trucks.

The Mustang exists as its only real car offering that doesn’t fall into the other categories mentioned above. Thankfully, the down year won’t have Ford considering the possibility of canceling production which is reportedly what Chevrolet is considering for the Camaro that only sold 21,893 units in 2021.